The last full moon was doubly unusual. First of all, it was a blue moon . A modern definition of a blue moon is a second full moon to occur during one calendar month. Since there are 13 full moons in 2023, one month has to have two -- and that month was August. The first full moon was on August 1 and named a Sturgeon Moon . The second reason that the last full moon was unusual was because it was a supermoon . A modern definition of supermoon is a moon that reaches its full phase when it is relatively close to Earth -- and so appears a bit larger and brighter than average. Pictured, the blue supermoon of 2023 was imaged hovering far behind a historic castle and lighthouse in Syracuse , Sicily , Italy .
Gallery: Selected August 2023 supermoon images submitted to APOD
Media Credits & Attribution
Credit & Copyright: Kevin Saragozza